That is, until I saw the deadline in the first round of voting is 3 p.m. today. Judging by the running tally, and barring a huge push at the polls, Frankfort will come up second in Indiana.

As of 11 a.m., the Hot Dogs trailed the Northeast Dubois Fighting Jeeps — a 1930s reference to a character in the Popeye cartoons. The Fighting Jeeps: 52.1 percent. The Hot Dogs: 41.7 percent. (The other three — Andrean 59’ers, Shoals Jug Rox and Vincennes Lincoln Alices — combined for a bit more than 6 percent of the vote.)

Here’s his pitch, picked up from the editing floor of my missed deadline:

“Owning a Hot Dog, myself, I can tell you that yet they are small in size they are mighty in heart. The Dachshund was originally bred to travel into small holes of predators without regard of its own life. They are fantastic companions and even fiercer competitors. Much like my hometown, the Hot Dog does not define its strength by its size. The Hot Dog defines its strength by the passion it drums up deep down in the depths of its heart and soul. It accomplishes what no one says can be done based upon its appearance. So indeed, the Hot Dog does much more than make a child laugh. The Hot Dog defines a spirit that is unable to be broken.”

Sold.

• Voting for state finalists in the best mascot poll continues until 3 p.m. today: Click here to vote.

• Regional competition featuring the state winners continues through March 25.